50th Chapter: Struggle
"Hey, hand that over!"
A blow struck Hayato's face the moment he turned, his right shoulder seized.
Hayato's decision took a single instant.
Left hand held a portable power source. Right hand held a flashlight.
Without pause, Hayato twisted his body and struck the man's abdomen with his left knee.
"Gah!"
The knee drove into the man's stomach, sending him crashing into the shelf across from the portable power source.
A loud crash. Goods tumbled from the shelf.
"I didn't kick that hard, did I?"
He twisted his body in place and struck with his left knee—just a quick, clean motion. He tilted his head, genuinely wondering if it looked too deliberate.
From behind the fallen man, two more figures lunged forward.
One held a steel pipe. The other gripped a metal rod.
They were coming in numbers, armed. Hayato thought it was unnecessary to hold back much against the first man who had come unarmed.
As the second man swung the steel pipe down, Hayato stepped back lightly.
Matching the movement of the pipe passing through the space where his body had been, he swung his left leg and struck the right side of the man’s waist.
“Gah!”
The second man was thrown backward, crashing into the shelf.
He fell on top of the first man.
It might hurt more than the first man’s fall.
But the left leg was not his dominant leg, and the space was tight. Hayato did not hesitate or calculate—he gave full force without regard for consequence.
Meanwhile, the third man, seeing Hayato’s balance shift from the kick, swung the metal rod in a wide arc.
The metal rod was thinner and faster than the steel pipe.
Hayato raised his right elbow, his face set in a scowl, catching the metal rod with his right forearm.
What would happen if the bear were struck with the metal rod?
The answer was, the bear would feel little pain.
"What?!"
The third man's face twisted in shock.
Hayato twisted his body, kicked the third man in the right side with his left foot, and sent him flying into the shelf on the right.
The third man collided with the same spot and slid down beside the second.
"Hah, troublesome."
A shout echoed. More men appeared.
All of them stared between Hayato and the three fallen men, faces tense.
One of them raised a flashlight, aiming the beam directly at Hayato's face.
Blinded by the light, Hayato returned the assault, directing his ultra-powerful LED flashlight at the man—12,000 lumens flooding the attacker's eyes.
The man was illuminated by a light as intense as car headlights.
"Uwaaah!"
The man covered his face and recoiled, blinded.
After Hayato reduced the light intensity, the direct assault from the beam ceased.
A brief standoff followed. The additional attackers were identified as seven in number.
One of them, a middle-aged man, shouted.
"What did you do!"
Referring to the three lying on the ground, groaning.
Hayato responded with calm eyes and demeanor, speaking matter-of-factly.
"If I had been carrying a portable power source, this one would have said 'Hey, hand it over!' then suddenly grabbed my shoulder, spun me around, and punched me in the face."
Having spoken, Hayato lightly prodded the first man with the toe of his right foot.
"That’s right—I kicked back with my left knee when I was punched, and then the other two attacked with iron pipes and metal rods. I blocked the rod to my right hand, then kicked each of them once with my left foot and brought them down."
Hayato, having finished speaking, prodded the bodies of the second and third men in turn with the tip of his right foot.
He looked toward the others, as if asking if there were any further questions.
A pause. Then the men’s gazes shifted to the three lying on the ground.
"So that’s how it was?"
The three men, questioned by the middle-aged man, remained silent, still on the ground.
They were conscious. They moved slightly. But they refused to speak, embarrassed.
"Hey—were you the ones who hit first? What’s the truth?"
"...We did."
The first man answered reluctantly.
The middle-aged man’s cheek twitched.
He raised his voice, frustration evident.
Then we struck back—shouldn’t that be enough!
Hayato looked down at the three men sprawled at his feet, expression unchanged.
He stated.
"If we win, we attack and take. If we lose, don’t attack us. Are you fools?"
"What was that?!"
The outburst came sharp and angry.
Hayato did not flinch. He met the man’s gaze with calm indifference.
"They attacked me with weapons, three of them, bare-handed. What I took from the shop was emergency shelter. What they did to me was not emergency shelter."
"What do you propose then? Call the police?"
The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows, voice low.
Of course, in this state, police would not come even if called.
The man wanted to say the police would not come, so let them go.
But if the police do not come, is it not unreasonable to release the thief? Hayato, at least, was不满.
You are accomplices of the robbers. You cannot hand them over. If you cannot call the police, you have no choice but to surrender them to those who effectively hold them by force. Hand them over to the New Order Coalition and let them be punished. The specifics are up to them.
The men’s expressions changed at those words. Hayato continued, his voice cold and unyielding.
Don't be ridiculous—those people are the robbers!
To me, these people are no different than bandits.
Hayato's argument left the middle-aged man at a loss for words.
The one who did it has admitted it. The part attacked first is not in dispute.
Apprehending the bandits who attacked was a natural response. Hayato could not be blamed.
If reported to the police and the police actually arrived, they would have no choice but to accept it.
Handing them over to the New Order Coalition, however, would not be acceptable.
Hayato understood he had taken control of the situation when the other party faltered in speech.
Hayato did not particularly wish to defeat the opponent.
He was irritated only by being struck in the face and being demanded to release the new arrivals. A proper resolution was all that mattered.
"As a settlement, if you pay me equivalent value for the portable power source and solar panel you tried to take from me, I will accept a settlement regarding the attack."
He said this, holding up the portable power source he had been carrying with his left hand.
"The portable power source is 2042 Wh. The solar panel is two units of 200 W each."
He shone the light from the shelf onto the solar panels and displayed them.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—Hammurabi Code logic. If one steals a portable power source, one must accept losing an equivalent in return.
Hayato placed the portable power source back beside the solar panels. He switched the flashlight from his right hand to his left, freeing his right hand.
With his right hand free, he could drag the three fallen men.
"What now?"
The middle-aged man grimaced.
If he had nothing, he would say so. He must possess it, but it is too valuable even within his community to surrender.
"You understand how precious it is, in this state?"
"I do. It’s worth more than a punch to the face, more than being struck with a metal rod."
"...We have seven here."
Hayato narrowed his eyes at the middle-aged man’s threat.
A cold light settled in his pupils.
If settlement fails, respond to robbery. Understood?
Hayato's final confirmation caused the middle-aged man to pause, just slightly.
And a conclusion is reached.
Apprehend him!
With the roar of a middle-aged man, the men moved in unison.
Seven hands held metal pipes, makeshift spears, knives.
They watched me warily, but believed they could win—bare-handed.
Hayato stepped forward to move away from the shelf holding the portable power source.
The metal pipe swings down, but this time Hayato is not holding the large portable power unit box, and his dominant arm is free.
He sidestepped the attack lightly and struck the opponent with his right hand, sending them flying.
A dull sound echoed. The man's body was thrown backward without resistance.
——One person.
In the next instant, Hayato continued without breaking his rhythm, delivering successive kicks to the men attacking from both sides.
Both were thrown back, crashing into the merchandise shelves and the displayed modular racks.
——Three.
In an instant, a knife came rushing toward him.
Hayato’s right hand moved swiftly, gripping the wrist of the man holding the knife.
“You’re going a bit too far.”
Hayato glared at his opponent, then swung the man’s right wrist with full force.
The knife-wielder’s body lifted off the ground, spun at high speed, and flew into the shelf.
——Four. Three left.
A spear descended, striking downward with force.
Hayato lunged forward, catching the spear’s shaft on his shoulder, then struck the man beside him in the left cheek with his right hand.
His right hand did not stop. It flowed onward, driving deep into the man’s abdomen.
A groan rose. The sixth person collapsed into a fetal position on the floor.
Before the last remaining middle-aged man, Hayato raised his right fist.
...Understood. Let's settle this through mediation.
He was likely not a person who understood conversation, but one who demanded only what suited his own interests.
Surviving in a world overrun by zombies requires such strength.
Regardless, that does not mean Hayato needs to compromise with his opponent.
Hayato thought he had to say it clearly, and did.
In addition to being assaulted by three people, six others attempted murder with knives. The settlement fee will be doubled from earlier. A bargain price, wouldn't you say?
Hayato had intended to send the middle-aged man to retrieve it, but stopped at that thought.
Letting him go risks him saying favorable things about himself within his community and never returning.
Leaving him would make it seem as though he chose a reliable person to return.
Hayato thought this way and decided to send an older man to retrieve it.
"Send two others, not you. If they do not return by sunset, the eight remaining thieves will never return to their original location."
Thus Hayato obtained two portable power units from the Home Center.
Additionally, the cable ties proved useful in the construction phase.
He was forced to use them wastefully, which he deeply resented.